SX Mini M Class Review

SX Mini M-Class Intro

One of the best products on the market, the SXmini M-Class by Yihi is a regulated box mod with temperature control capabilities (up to 50 joules) and variable wattage (up to 60 watts) that is powered by one 18650. Don’t let the basic numbers fool you, it’s more of a powerhouse than those specs make it seem! Made by the China-based Yihicigar, the SXmini M-Class is a stunning high-end device that has received praise and accolades from the community for its form factor, durability and, most importantly, its performance.
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Featuring the magnificent SX 350 J chip–that can handle sub-0.2Ω loads–the SXmini M-Class is the follow-up to Yihi’s SXmini S-Class. For all intents and purposes, the S-Class looks just like the M-Class, but don’t be confused by the names or the looks; the M-Class can do what the S-Class can and more (notably with the addition of temperature control). I like to think “M” stands for more! The M-Class also benefits from some firmware upgrades and a few ergonomic tweaks that reportedly make the device much more comfortable to handle.

SX Mini M-Class Specs and Features

Packaging

​The SXmini M-Class comes in a beautiful, white display box with foam inserts that protect the mod. Inside the top half of the display box, you’ll find the instruction manual enclosed in a little white envelope. Inside the bottom half of the display box, beneath the SXmini M-Class, sits the USB cord in a dark gray box. It’s only fitting that the refined M-Class comes in such premium packaging—it’s high quality through and through.

Notable Remarks

Don’t be intimidated

It’s likely that if you’re reading this you don’t own an M-Class and you are wondering if it is right for you. The SXmini M-Class is $199 and its basic specs may not seem all that impressive when you can find cheaper regulated mods, seemingly with more power and temp control too. But let me caution you against dismissing this as just an expensive, “high-end” 60-watt box mod with temp control. Even at just 60 watts of power, it can easily outperform regulated mods that boast much higher power.
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What’s also possible (if you’re like me) is that you’ve been interested in the SXmini M-Class but found yourself intimidated by it. If you look at some of the reviews and many of the forum threads about the M-Class, it almost seems like you have to have a degree in electronic engineering just to get it to vape. That’s essentially what I thought until I received this device for the purposes of a review. If you think like I thought, let me set your mind at ease–the SXmini M-Class is accessible and user-friendly.. Yes, it’s built on a rock-solid electronic foundation, but its ultimate usability is much like other regulated mods: it requires little more than an atty, a battery and a few clicks of the fire button to get to vaping!

Ease of Use

While the SXmini M-Class has more menu options than your average regulated mod, it functions just like other mods, but better. The basics are the same: with the 5-clicks-to-run feature, you can then access the menu and toggle through it with just a few clicks of the fire and up/down buttons. When I got my M-Class I promptly put a battery in, turned it on, screwed on an atty and commenced to vaping. (When in doubt, 5 clicks generally works!) The instruction manual seems to be written well and in great detail, but, even though I’ve gotten a lot of use out the M-Class, I’ve yet to actually read the manual all the way through.

Note: To get an in-depth tutorial of the many menu features, I recommend watching Phil Busardo’s YouTube tutorial on the SXmini M-Class.

Temp Control

Just like with the mod itself, I was previously intimidated by the prospects of temp control. But putting the mod in temp control (joules) is just about as easy as turning the mod on. After that, you simultaneously press both the bottom buttons to lock in the resistance of the atomizer and then you set your joules and temperature (either in Fahrenheit or Celsius). I had no problems getting a great vape in this setting (using the Freemax Starre Pro with nickel coils). Nothing wonky happened, no glitches and no weird screen issues. It just vaped well! In temp control, vaping tastes a little different than normal (mainly because of the nickel wire), but you’re still simply vaping. If you know how to vape, you know how to vape in temp control.
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Temp control devices not using Yihi boards use watts instead of joules. I wish I could sum up for you the difference between watts and joules, but it’s best to think of them as the same (for the purpose of vaping). Adjusting joules will function the same as adjusting watts. No reason to get too heady about it. If you want to vape in temp control at, say, 40 watts, set it for 40 joules.
​Note: One thing to be cognizant of when deciding to vape in temp control is you have to have your atty (with nickel coils) and mod both at the same temperature to get an accurate reading of the resistance. I left my mod and atty out on my desk for about 10 minutes while not in use and then attached them to be synced. Easy. Breezy.

Power/Wattage

If you ever used any variable-wattage mod, you know how this works. But as I’ve said, the M-Class outperforms other mods with higher capabilities. As can be seen in the Phil Busardo videos, the M-Class chipset is very accurate whether in joules or power (watts). What you set is what you get.

Overall Power

Some of the great features with this mod is that in the power setting (for use with kanthal), the M-Class can handle loads as low as .15Ω and in joules (for use with nickel) it can fire down to .05Ω. It also comes with four modes for regulated vaping: Soft, Standard, Powerful and Powerfu+. Soft fires with a slow ramp-up, Powerful fires quickly and Powerfu+ is the fastest. Aside from Standard, these different modes will fire for a very short period of time (a couple seconds) with a smaller percentage below or above the power you have set.
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That means if you want to take long and slow, gradual drags, Soft mode can give you more of a relaxing vape as you ease into your selected power output. Standard is exactly how it looks: set it to your number and that’s what it will give you. But in the two Powerful modes, it will fire for a short burst above your setting before leveling back down.
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In Powerfu+ mode, although you may only have it set to 60 (or whatever number you’ve set in watts or joules), it is going to fire above it for a brief moment before leveling down to your setting. Let me put it to you like this: the M-Class might not have the biggest power numbers out there, but it can go from 0-60 faster than any other regulated mod I’ve used. This means you can take quick and intense hits without needing to drag on the atty for several seconds until it heats up. This is a fantastic feature and one that has made all my other mods sit untouched since I got the M-Class.
​Note: For comparison’s sake, I’ve used two of the same sub-ohm clearos (The Crown by Uwell) with the same liquid and the same resistance on the M-Class and other high(er) wattage devices. The M-Class at 60 watts in Powerfu+ mode gave an immediately gratifying vape much faster than any of the others did, whether I had them set at 75 watts or even as high as 90 watts. From cold-state to enjoyable vape, the M-Class wastes no time when it’s in the Powerfu+ mode!

Screen

SX Mini M-Class Mini Screen2

The screen is well lit and perfectly readable (at least to my eyes). I haven’t had it out directly in the sun, but my gut is telling me that I won’t have major issues reading it in well-lit situations. The actual screen that the OLED sits behind is matte and I get no glare from any lights (more Kindle than an iPad).

Battery Life

The battery life is largely dependent on how much power you are using. Since I use my M-Class mostly at 60 watts and in the Powerfu+ mode, I generally have to change batteries once or twice a day (and that’s with moderate use). It would be nice to get better battery life, but there is only so much one 18650 can handle for long periods of time.
​Note: Yihi released an extension tube to use an additional 18650 (for dual-stacked 18650s) in the SXmini. It is pretty extreme for its size and you would be hard-pressed to stand it up without it toppling over, so as far as I am concerned the SXmini M-Class should be viewed as a single 18650 mod. The optional tube allows for an upgrade to use more power (more than 2x the power output), but in my opinion this mod is just too beautiful to go turning it into a lightsaber!

Battery Cap

SX Mini M-Class Battery Cover

​Nothing in life is perfect, I guess. This is the one real drawback I can find with this mod. For some it will be a big deal, for others it will be a minor inconvenience–but I don’t think anyone actually loves it. The battery cap requires a tool (like a coin or a big flat-head screwdriver) to be taken out. It’s a silly choice to go with this design and one that irks me. But, it’s only a problem for a brief moment once a day when I have to change batteries. If you vape heavily and at high power (and especially if you are always on the go), this could be a deal breaker.

Looks

SX Mini M-Class Packaging/Screen

​Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I hear of “S-Class” or “M-Class,” I can’t help but to think of Mercedes. Whether that was intentional or not, the device lives up to such an allusion. Built on a gorgeous c-frame like many high-end regulated mods, it’s something that oozes class (so to speak) and craftsmanship.
​Note: The M-Class comes in several different color formations for its body/face. Black/Black, Silver/Silver, Black/Silver, Grey/Silver (the one I have), Silver/Black, Rose/Silver, etc.

Feel

The SXmini M-Class was clearly designed to be comfortable in the hand. It is relatively small, but it has a heft to it that feels solid and sturdy. Holding this mod in comparison to other mods that are largely built out of plastic or other cheap materials, the M-Class feels like a thoughtfully engineered device.

Likes

Fantastic overall design

Beautiful

Built like a rock

Ergonomically designed to fit nicely in the hand

Several options to finely tune your vape

Upgradable power (see Pbusardo’s video on how to upgrade)

Nice tactile feel of buttons

Accurate power

Hard-hitting if you want it set that way

No screen issues

No bugs in firmware

Small size

Can handle sub-0.2Ω loads

Lots of options

East to use

Dislikes

Battery cap removal requires a tool

Pricey

Verdict

Is the SXmini M-Class cheap? Not at all, not figuratively or literally. But when comparing it to other high-end devices, it is actually relatively affordable. When you factor that in with it being user-friendly, available, and just an overall great mod, I strongly recommend it—if you can afford it. Don’t settle for less if you don’t have to. Seriously. I’d trade in several of my other mods, even ones with greater power capacity, just to get one more SXmini M-Class!

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My name is Jeremy and I am a content manager and editor here at Vaping360. I reside in southeast Michigan and I have been vaping for over five years. Thanks to vaping, I've been off cigarettes since my first ecig purchase in 2010.